Ramela Xhaho, a recent graduate of The City College of New York’s Class of 2025, was named a recipient of the Jonas E. Salk Scholarship by The City University of New York, according to a May 14 announcement. The scholarship is given to students who have shown exceptional promise in medicine and biological sciences.
Xhaho graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in biology and maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average. As part of her award as a Salk Scholar, she will receive an $8,000 stipend distributed over three or four years while she attends medical school.
During her time at City College, Xhaho earned several honors including Division of Science Valedictorian, the Outstanding Biology Presentation Award, the Sharon D. Cosloy Undergraduate Research Scholarship in Biology, and the Bernard Levine Scholarship in Science and Mathematics.
Originally from Albania and now living in Brooklyn, Xhaho currently works as an adjunct lecturer at City College’s Division of Science while preparing for medical school enrollment. “My future goals are to provide compassionate care to patients from diverse backgrounds and to conduct research,” said Xhaho. “Being an immigrant has influenced my desire to be a physician, as I plan to serve different immigrant communities as well. I also enjoy conducting research to integrate scientific discovery with patient care.”
Xhaho has volunteered at Montefiore Medical Center where she shadowed physicians in the Emergency Department. She also participated in the Weill Cornell DedicatED Summer Apprenticeship Program during her sophomore year.
The Salk Scholarship is named after Dr. Jonas Salk, who graduated from City College in 1934 and developed the first polio vaccine in 1955. Dr. Salk requested that money intended for his honor be used for scholarships instead; initial funding came from New York City that same year. Each year eight graduates from CUNY senior colleges who plan on attending U.S.-based medical or graduate schools are awarded this scholarship.
